To commemorate the second phase of completion of permanent supportive housing development Towne Twin Village, city officials attended the ribbon cutting ceremony in collaboration with Housing First Community Coalition.
On April 14, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Director of Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Veronica Garcia spoke amongst the attendees, thanking them for their support and reflecting on their journey completing this project.
A milestone was reached with 41 new homes readily available to support unhoused individuals going through a transitional period in their lives. This expansion represented the first Permanent Supportive Housing Project completed from the funding of the cities 2022-2027 Affordable Housing Bond.
According to a press release, the bond was approved by voters in 2022, granting $150 million towards creating affordable housing in San Antonio. From the bond, $9.9 million was directed to Towne Twin Village to support the construction of the 41 newly built homes.
Housing First Community Coalition Executive Director Edward Gonzales spoke of his gratitude while reflecting on the trials and tribulations he faced throughout the completion of the project.
“I want to thank the Board of Directors. I want to thank Mark and his leadership and the HFCC board for having the confidence and the vision that we’re going to get this done,” said Gonzales. “One of the expectations early on was this is something that hasn’t been done before and this is also something that needs to not fail. I’m like, okay, starting to get a little more pressure here. They also said we need to get it done right away because people have been waiting already.
“I also want to thank the city of San Antonio, the neighborhood housing services department and the mayor. When we first had the initial grand opening, he told me his vision. He said, ‘I think we’re going to get this done.’ And through his leadership, we were able to move mountains along the way.”
Christina Stancombe, a resident at Towne Village who has been living in one of the newly established homes for over a month, shared her experience living in the community.
“We know what a wonderful place this is. For myself, it means I’m no longer homeless. I also have the opportunity to live in a tiny home, something I’ve aspired to for over 20 years. I’m grateful for the way we are treated with dignity and respect, not as lesser than, which happens quite often with the poor, elderly and homeless populations. Here, we are treated as individuals and have access to assistance as needed on a personal level. Thank you for making this community available to people like me,” Stancombe said.
Before the ribbon cutting ceremony, Nirenberg reflected on his remaining time in office and spoke upon the day’s event and what it signified with his actions as mayor.
“Well, it’s proof that our words are matched with action in terms of the importance of affordable housing at all levels,” said Nirenberg. ”When we identified permanent supportive housing as a gap in our services to address homelessness and our housing ecosystem, we knew we had to get to work, and it required a lot of effort, both in terms of policy but also putting together funding strategies. This is proof that all that effort is worth it.
“Everyone in San Antonio, every resident, regardless of circumstance, deserves a place to live with dignity and respect.”
The Department of Neighborhood and Housing Services has been granted $35 million in housing bond funds and is looking for more projects to fund to continue to support communities like Towne Twin Village.
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